A call to arms: Voting rights from an activist's viewpoint

Every time we open the paper these days, we are bombarded with articles about the threat to the United State’s democracy. And fair enough. There has been an slew of assaults on our democracy since the attempt to overthrow the results of the last presidential election. It’s enough to make me speechless, no easy task I tell you. And besides the cloud of gloom that has come from reading news stories about voter suppression, election fraud, and the wounds to our country, I’ve been plagued with the question of what can I actually do to protect democracy. I’ve also been wondering why this political battle has so profoundly affected me. I usually view political discourse with a hearty dose of skepticism believing politicians pretty much just say what serves them. Luckily, I’ve come up with answers to both the “What can I do?” and the “Why do I care so much?” questions. But before I dive in, note that while this newsletter focuses on the decay of democracy in the US, things aren’t much different in the UK. I also feel I must point out that although I am not a political expert, and many wiser folks have written on this topic, I have seen little in the way of practical advice. And I feel impelled to urge us all to action, if only to figure out what I can do to fight the anti-voting-rights movement. This is no time to be passive.

The impetus for all this soul searching is of course the news about attacks on democracy. In the past year, 33 new laws were enacted in the US that make it more difficult to vote, especially for those with inflexible jobs, disabilities, a criminal past, or insecure housing. Rather inhumanely, Georgia, Iowa, Kansas and Texas have passed laws with severe penalties for those helping disabled voters return their ballots, for those who encourage mail in voting, and for those who hand out water and snacks at over run polling stations. Many areas have reduced access to voting by closing polling stations, reducing polling station hours, removing mail in ballot boxes, and making it more restrictive to access mail in voting.

In addition to the assault on individuals’ right to vote, there has been an attack on the relative impact of people’s votes through aggressive gerrymandering. For example, North Carolina has redrawn its district lines such that Republicans could win 71 percent of the state’s congressional seats with only 48 percent of the statewide vote. How can that even be legal?

And even more worrying, a cabal of Trump loyalists have admitted to forming an alliance with the basic aim being to control the election process. Fifteen Republicans, who support the Big Lie conspiracy theory about the 2020 presidential election, are running to serve as the chief election officials in crucial swing states. Lest we forget, it was honorable (and brave) election officials in the last election who stood up to Trump and wouldn’t overturn their regions’ results. Now the Big Lie candidates are actively conspiring about ways to overturn the next presidential race. One of the Big Lie Candidates, Jim Marchant, has said that had he been secretary of State in Nevada during the last election, he would not have certified Biden’s victory even though the Nevada Supreme Courts unanimously upheld Biden’s victory. It’s shocking that someone would even say that out loud.

As disturbing as the democracy destroying attacks are, it’s even worse when we interpret them as the creshendo of a decades long trend toward neoliberalism, i.e. “all hail the market place”. Neoliberalism is generally taken to mean free market ideas, which to my mind means freedom is more imporant than anything else, including the common good. Many governments around the world began adopting neoliberal policies in the 1970s, including massive deregulation, deep tax cuts, globalization, free trade, and privatization. The environment, justice and social equality all took, and continue to take, major hits. And here’s the really bizarre twist. This prioritization of commerce, that advanced at all costs, led to more and more people feeling abandoned. But rather than turning towards inclusivity and protection of the commons, by voting for the Greens or at a minimum the Democrats/Lib Dems, the disenfranchised have broadly turned towards populist politicians - who will say whatever their audience would like to hear, unhampered by truth or evidence. The fight against misinformation has become intimately tied to the fate of democracy alongside its cousins the fight for social justice and the fight for the environment. All these fights share the goal of securing the common good for the people.

As often happens in researching these articles, I’ve shifted my view point in unexpected ways. This time from seeing the assault on fair elections as a worrying trend, to viewing it as a last stand in the battle to save the wilderness, our communities, and our democracy. And I’m not alone in feeling we’re on the edge of a slide out of democracy. But we haven’t lost yet. Many are fighting these authoritarian trends and shining light in the dark places. Here are some things we can do to protect our democracy and with that action give the natural world, justice, and social equality a chance to thrive.

• Vote and encourage others to vote. I don’t like to say “you must” but we all must vote in every election that we can. We can find out registration deadlines and ask everyone we encounter if they are registered. If there is a groundswell of votes, politicians will know we are watching. And if that ground swell shows that a minority is ruling the majority, perhaps that will spur positive change. Each vote in this will count! What a concept! In addition to voting ourselves, we can join voter registration campaigns and voting support efforts like letter writing and driving people to the polls.

• Talk, talk, talk, talk, talk. Talk to everyone about the link between democracy and justice, the environment, the future, whatever political issue you are passionate about. But also about news stories, actions, worries, the future of world. We can do this both in person and on social media. One option is to follow @teamPelosi on Twitter and help flood social media with comments in a coordinated attempt to let representatives know we the public care and are watching when they are about to vote on something. Or look at #votingrights, #wewantvotingrights. Retweet, follow, connect, and share across platforms, messages that resonate with you.

• We can contribute money to senate or election official races. Or we can support causes like Eric Holder’s redistricting action group or Stacey Abraham’s voter registration work, both recommended by a close friend of mine who is a digital political strategist.

• We can get involved in the electoral process. This can be either via becoming more educated about the system - look into rank choice voting, getting rid of the electoral college or what have you. We can also consider becoming a election official.

• We can let our senators know we support the Freedom to Vote Act (S.2747) and the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act (H.R.4). While it probably won’t make much of a difference in most states, a ground swell of public support in Arizona, West Virginia, Alaska, Maine and New Hampshire may have a very important impact. A nifty trick here is to call out of hours and leave a message - it is far less intimidating than having to talk to real human. Be sure to mention the bill numbers when you call.

• On a longer timescale, we need to communicate with respect across the social divides which politicians and media are stirring up to ring fence us into supporting them. It is essential that we join together with non-like minded folk and stand against these divisive forces. Reach out to a relative or friend with different opinions than your own and try to understand them. Perhaps not trying to win them over but rather to seek and celebrate the goals we share in common. There are organizations that work towards this too.

Without a democratically elected government, we are at the mercy of the power hungery and the money seekers. And we are in real danger of lossing that democracy through the twin dangers of misinformation and challenges to our voting rights. Rarely do I insist that we must act, I far prefer the softly-softly approach to activism. But I do feel now is a time when we all must fight for our voting rights. In the words of John Lewis, “Democracy is not a state. It is an act, and each generation must do its part to help build what we called the Beloved Community, a nation and world society at peace with itself.” It is time to do our part.